Groves to fight for world title

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George Groves will challenge Robert Stieglitz for the WBO super-middleweight title in Germany on 5 May.

The fight, which will take place at the Messehalle arena in Erfurt, represents a major step up in class for the unbeaten 24-year-old in only his 15th professional contest.

His trainer and manager Adam Booth insisted last year that the Hammersmith prospect was not ready to compete for a world title.

Groves has already won the Commonwealth and British titles.

However, Stieglitz, 30, is regarded as one of the weaker champions in an extremely strong division, and the Groves camp believe their man can win the belt once held by Chris Eubank and more recently Joe Calzaghe.

Russian Stieglitz, who is based in Germany, has a record of 41-2 and had been pencilled in to fight former title holder Mikkel Kessler but was left to consider other options after the Dane opted to move up to light-heavyweight.

Groves, once a star of the Dale Youth Boxing Club in Notting Hill, became Commonwealth champion in only his ninth professional bout and last year took the British crown from arch-rival and fellow West Londoner James DeGale.

He ended the year with a second-round stoppage of another former national champion, Paul Smith, at Wembley Arena.

Last month he was due to return to Wembley for a rematch with Scotland’s Kenny Anderson, who floored him when they met in 2010.

Groves withdrew for medical reasons and it emerged that he was being lined up for a shot at Stieglitz.

See also: Groves bout off but world title fight looms

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